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The Best Headline Formulas PDF
The Best Headline Formulas PDF
The headline will either keep people reading what you have to say,
or send them away.
So, if you publish something with a poor headline, people won’t read it.
Here’s some food for thought: An average headline will keep only about
25% of people reading further. And that’s on a page where the only
options are to keep reading or to leave.
Imagine what the percentages are in Twitter, where you compete for
attention with dozens of other headlines at once. The most interesting
headline gets the click while the others get buried under new headlines.
I’ve written a free guide that helps you find out what those things are for your
audience, so you can use them in your headlines and marketing.
If you don’t know what those things are for your audience, you can’t write
attention-grabbing headlines.
Every copywriter uses the same old headlines again and again. Sure, some
headlines seem new and unique, but most often they’re modified copies of the
old great headline formulas.
A headline formula that worked yesterday will work today, and it will work
tomorrow. So, trying to create something no one’s done before is an
unnecessary risk.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be creative. If you want to write
great headlines, you need to learn to modify the formulas. You’ll find at least a
couple of examples for each formula. Sometimes they follow the formula
exactly, but often I’ve modified the formula to give you more ideas.
When you understand why each headline works, you’ll start to write great
headlines intuitively and only use the formulas for inspiration.
1.
Capture
A,en.on
It’s quite easy to read a headline and then forget it in seconds. And
(unfortunately) that’s true even if the topic is important.
The problem with that headline is that it only states a fact everybody already
knows. There’s no strong emotion, there are no interesting/strong words, and
it’s not personal.
Here are a couple of ways to make that headline more interes6ng:
2.
Create
fascina.on
It’s not enough to be interesting; too many people know how to do that.
Fascination (or powerful attraction) gets people to read more. It captures your
audience’s attention and “forces” them to focus on what you have to say.
All good headlines are at least a little fascinating, so if you want to stand out
you’ll need to know how to go one step further.
As the title of the book says, there are 7 fascination triggers. You’ll have to
figure out which triggers work best for your audience. And different triggers
work for different products. So, create a solid marketing framework that gives
you a solid foundation for your marketing (and headlines).
3.
Create
an.cipa.on
Good headlines may get people to check out what the article is about. Great
headlines get people to read the entire article (or at least to skim it to the end).
In other words: great headlines make people expect a reward for reading the
entire article/post/landing page/etc.
As you read through the list of headline formulas you’ll start to notice how
each of them creates a premise. They imply a benefit from reading the article,
even when it’s not obvious. And that premise is what keeps people reading…
But when you add a sub-headline, it becomes a lot better: “22 Ways to Write
Better Headlines - Copywriters Never Admit Using #19”.
You should use sub-headlines whenever you can make the headline better
with one. But remember that the function of sub-headlines is to make the
headline better, not to replace a strong headline.
The difference between using a sub-headline and just combining two headline
ideas into one, isn’t clear. Technically a sub-headline is a separate headline,
not an ending of a headline. But they accomplish the same thing and their
content is usually very similar (though sub-headlines are often longer).
Learning how to write great headlines and back them up with sub-headlines is
one of the key copywriting skills. Invest some time into learning it; it’s well
worth it even if you don’t sell anything but write for magazines, blogs, etc.
Regards,
Peter Sandeen
PS. Have a great headline in mind? Feel free to brag about it here ;) And if
you’ve already written the article etc. leave a link to it so people can read that
too…
Table of Contents
How To - !rite a “How to” Headline ...........................11
1. How to [blank] ...............................................................................................12
2. How to [blank] – The Essential Guide .........................................................12
3. How to [blank] Like [blank] .........................................................................12
4. How to [blank] Even if OR Without [blank] ................................................12
5. How to [blank] While [blank] .......................................................................13
6. How to Use [blank] to [blank] ......................................................................13
7. How to [blank] in 5 Easy Steps ....................................................................13
People want to know how to do things. And they look for that information
online.
A headline that starts with, “How to” promises to deliver that information
quickly and clearly.
The simplest form of the “How to” family. It’s not the prettiest headline, but it
is effective. And it’s a great starting point for writing.
Adding the ending may not seem like much, but sometimes it makes the
headline a lot stronger.
Use it when you’ve written an article that covers the topic really, really well.
Would you like to write headlines like the best copywriters ever?
People want to be like the people they admire. If you imply you can get them
closer to that goal, you’ve got their interest.
Note that you lose the effect if the person/group you mention isn’t really
admired enough. Or if they’re not admired in that context.
“How to Swim Like Michael Phelps” is good because the context works.
“How to Run Like Michael Phelps” doesn’t carry the needed authority.
What if there are problems ahead? Well, there usually are and your headlines
can benefit from them.
Implying that you can make the first [blank] so easy that you can do
something else too.
Or maybe two goals aren’t a good match, but you know how to accomplish
both.
If “how to” articles are about simple results then this is the Holy Grail.
Emphasizing how simple your solution is, works really well, if it really is that
simple.
Nowadays the threats we’re faced with aren’t usually life threatening, but we
still react to them strongly.
If you can find something that really threatens something that someone cares
for, you’ve got yourself a great headline. If your audience is mostly beginners
then general topics are good (“copywriting”), but if you write for professionals
then use something specific (“bullet-point structure”).
Warning: Don’t use alarming headlines if you can’t deliver a real threat. If you
let down the expectations, you’ll teach your audience to ignore your headlines.
Simple but very effective. As with the “How to [blank] Like [blank]” headline,
you need to understand what your audience sees as a threat (or admires in the
example).
“Are You Safe from Dying of Skin Cancer” works if your audience is old
enough.
“Are You Safe from Looking Like an Idiot in Your Driver’s License Picture”
works if your audience is young enough.
As with all the alarm headlines, the threat has to feel real to the readers. If you
use a threat that your audience doesn’t fear at all, they’ll ignore your headline.
This headline formula is great if you’re selling something; you can agitate the
fear in the article/copy and then offer a solution at the end.
“Is Your Home Safe from Burglars” – Great if you’re selling home alarm
systems.
If you use this headline as the headline for a blog post, then combine it with a
list sub-headline.
“Is Your Home Safe from Burglars – 3 Things to Check” – Works better in a
blog post because it seems easy to implement. You can use that to sell things,
but it’s a different strategy.
This is a variation of the last formula. The difference is that the focus is on the
reader, not something the reader values.
Did something change that affects your audience? Maybe a law, economic
situation, or another somehow important thing changed and your audience
should react.
The headline works without a sub-headline if your audience sees the change as
something they should react to. But if they don’t, use a sub-headline to give
that reason.
This one often works best if you add a sub-headline that agitates fears or
offers hope.
“First Warning Signs of Your Marriage Breaking Apart and How to Save It”
“First Warning Signs of Your Blog Getting Banned by Google – Lifting the Ban
is Nearly Impossible”
Works best when your audience is mostly beginners or amateurs. You can use
it for professional audiences too, but then you need to be extremely specific.
“Why 99% of Blogs Fail Miserably – And How to Be in the Top 1%”
“Why 50% Businesses Fail Miserably – 3 Most Common Reasons”
Works best for amateurs (and other non-professionals) and with a sub-
headline.
16.What to Do if You’ve Done These Common [blank] Mistakes
Most people like the idea of “living in the moment” but most of us still worry
about the things we’ve done and said in the past. Offering a way to make
things right after the fact, will attract many.
Pick the right person and it becomes difficult for readers to disregard this
headline. But use a sub-headline or the headline may fall flat.
19. [blank] Mistakes that Make You Look Stupid OR [blank] Laugh at You
People are so scared of looking stupid that you’ll definitely get attention with
this headline. And if there’s a specific group of people that your audience
wants to impress then you can make it even more powerful.
This works well for any audience if you pick the [blank] well.
You have to provide great content to back up this headline. Or else you’re seen
as an idiot.
“Does Your Landing Page Suck? The Fastest Way to Fix It”
“Does Your Headlines Suck? 5 Ways to Fix Them”
Again, back up this headline with great content or you’re the idiot.
This is great for all audiences, even established professionals. Just pick a
specific “blank” and your headline will work (for the right audience).
“5 Problems that are Built into WordPress and How To Work Around Them”
“17 Problems that are Built into Most New Houses”
We live in a material world and if you can point out that your audience may be
losing money (value), they’ll get interested.
There are so many ways you can use this formula… Just read the examples
and create your own :)
You can combine (and you often should) list headlines with other formulas to
make them even more attractive.
You can replace “blank” with a lot of different things. I usually recommend
using a sub-headline to make this one more interesting, but sometimes
simplicity is the key.
If you use a small number, then pick a “blank” that’s really interesting. Or
what do you think about this headline? “3 Reasons Why You Should Exercise”
But if you use a large number then even familiar topics can work, especially
with a sub-headline.
“25 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog for Your Business”
“3 Reasons Why You Should Write Your Headline Before The Copy”
“101 Reasons Why Vanilla Ice Cream is Better than Chocolate Ice Cream”
Simple and interesting. But only if there aren’t too many “top” lists about the
same topic.
“Top 10 Albums of 90’s” There are too many lists like this for this to be
interesting. But if you add a sub-headline it could work well: “Top 10 Albums
of 90’s – Chosen by Lady Gaga”
The other way to use this headline is to turn it into a “normal” list headline.
Be as specific with the “blank” as you can for the best results. Don’t just say
“bloggers”, but instead say “food bloggers”, “beginning bloggers”, or “Spanish
bloggers”.
You can also add a sub-headline to make the headline even more focused on
one group of people.
Sometimes people just want inspiration. And what would be a better way to
inspire than to show great examples.
You can make the headline more interesting if you add “and How to Make
them Even Better” to the end of it.
You learn more from mistakes than from successes. I hate that, but it’s usually
true.
The problem with huge lists like 101, 1000, or even just 50, is that people may
expect the quality to be poor. But if you can pull it off, then showcase it with
the headline.
“Tips” is one of the best words in a headline like that. It sounds like bite-sized
ideas and therefore justifies large numbers.
These headline formulas are often used annoyingly; they don’t deliver what
the headline promises. Don’t do that, you’ll quickly teach your audience to
ignore your headlines even when they’re really interesting.
37. The Secret [someone respected] Doesn’t Want You to Know
Please, use it as it’s meant to be used: Your audience has to believe that the
person/group you refer to, actually has a secret or is holding something back.
If you use a name that your audience sees as completely honest and open,
your headline will fail.
“The Secret The Government Doesn’t Want You to Know” – Perfect if your
audience is filled with conspiracy theorists.
“The Secret Your Mom Doesn’t Want You to Know” – Great for teen-agers.
A variation of the last headline. Again your audience has to believe there’s
something worth knowing.
Unlike the last two headlines, this one doesn’t imply that they’re keeping
something from you on purpose. Rather they’re just forgetting to tell you.
The phrase “little-known”: you get to call people just a little dumb, without
sounding like an ass.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your life could be a little simpler? Calmer? And more
enjoyable?
If your audience is the rising stars of Wall Street then this isn’t the best
headline (it goes against their beliefs). But for most people “Zen” has a strong
positive emotional meaning.
Usually you get the best result when you use it with things that aren’t normally
associated with Zen.
42. What the [interes6ng group of people] Can Teach You about [blank]
There’s lots of people and groups of people who carry a certain prestige or
mystique. You can use famous people, ancient civilizations, etc.
You can replace “blank” with either something logical or something weird.
We all admire someone. Not necessarily everything about them, but at least
parts of them. And we’re willing to do a lot to become more like them in those
ways.
45. 5 Things Not Even Your [trusted person] Knows about [blank]
One of the best prestige-driven headlines; be better than the person you most
admire.
46. How to Be Beaer at [blank] than [someone respected]
Simply put promise of something almost every person secretly (or openly)
desires.
47. Be The Best [blank] Your [blank] has Ever Seen
This may at first seem like a weak headline, but in the right context it becomes
very useful.
If you can simplify something really complex, you gain a lot of authority. And
people want to know the simplified version for two reasons:
Just keep the number as low as possible or the headline loses effect.
Prestige, prestige, prestige. It’s not the best fascination trigger for everyone,
but it’s often the one thing people fight harder for than money.
50. The 7 Common Habits of All Successful [group of people]
Get inside the heads of the people whose footprints you’re following.
“The Ernest Hemingway Guide to Writing” sounds better than “My 3 Writing
Tips”. But the content could still be almost the same.
If you can tie your content to a respected person, it’s usually worth it.
Hey, sex sells… No joke. Regardless of your topic and the connection between
the person and your topic, this headline attracts many (but not all) readers.
If you have personal experience about doing something your audience wants
to do, you can use it in a headline.
I’d avoid faking the headline; use real experiences. Unless you obviously
exaggerate.
Implying that the reader should already be like something is very powerful. It
works even if the reader hasn’t thought about it, but it’s best when you’re
agitating the reader’s feeling of inadequacy (though it’s slightly mean).
“Some People Write Great Blog Posts in 20 Minutes – Can You Do That?”
“Some People are Close with Their Families – Are You?”
If you take away the “now” from the end the headline loses most of its effect.
The implication that you’ll get something immediately, is the reason this
works as well as more intricate headlines.
1. It immediately tells the reader what they can expect to get from the
content.
2. It implies measurable results.
3. It creates high expectations.
4. It highlights the most important benefits.
5. And it’s damn easy to write.
Most landing pages and sales letters use a promise headline because of those
advantages. And if there’s no reason to be more complicated than giving a
promise, then do just that.
1. Repeat your promise early in the copy. It’s not that people
wouldn’t remember it from the headline. You’ll just confirm, that’s
what they’ll get if they read on.
2. Talk about the pain you’ll solve. Even when the pain is obvious,
you should make the reader experience how life sucks without the
promised benefits.
3. Refer back to the problems you’ll make go away while you go
over the benefits. That makes the benefits feel more important.
4. If you can, offer more value than you originally promised.
Your offer/solution will feel even better when there are unexpected
benefits/bonuses.
5. Deliver the promise right at the end. The moment you give the
goods, you lose your readers’ focus.
You can’t get much bolder with your headlines than this. But that’s why it’s so
effective.
When you promise “the ultimate guide”, you imply it’s the only guide the
reader will ever need. So, it’s perfect for lazy readers who don’t want to do
more than the minimum amount of work. Hint: that’s most of us…
Yes, you can say it that bluntly. And if you have enough credibility, it doesn’t
feel like too much hype.
Unlike the last few headlines, you can use this one with complex topics as well
as simple ones.
If you do have a solution to an old problem, why wouldn’t you highlight that?
“Finally a Solution to Creating Great Landing Pages Easily” (affiliate link, but I
use it myself too)
“Finally a Solution to Chronic Back Pain”
This is one of the most popular headlines. If you use it, you create high
expectations that you need to be able to meet in the content.
One of the best headlines for sales pages (that sell information products).
The headline should never be complex just for the sake of being complex.
Sometimes the simplest ones work just as well.
“Learn to…” is a relative of “How to…” They work for the same topics, but
“Learn to…” is better for complex tasks.
“How to Build a Car Engine” sounds stupid but “Learn to Build a Car Engine”
makes sense.
Can learning to [blank] be so easy that you can do [blank] at the same time?
Use this headline when you can teach something in a simple way. And don’t
use this if your audience thinks that the basic skill is very difficult/important;
you’d seem like you don’t take it seriously.
Yes. Sometimes it’s that simple. But only if your product’s name is good ;)
Sounds promising, doesn’t it? If you can provide ways for people to make
money from something they’re already doing, you’ll get their attention.
Odds are you tried to answer that before you even noticed it.
Odds are you tried to answer that even though you tried not to.
When you’re asked a question, you try to answer it intuitively. And that’s great
news for headline writing.
Ideally you get the reader to imagine the problems you can solve, or the
benefits of solving them. In other words you get them to imagine what you can
do for them.
69. Do You Know What Keeps Your [blank] from Geeng Beaer?
“Do You Know What Keeps Your Landing Pages from Converting Better?”
“Do You Know What Keeps Your Relationships from Getting Better?”
This is a little risky: If the reader feels confident that they know the answer,
they won’t read on. So, use it for content that’s directed to beginners and
amateurs rather than highly trained professionals.
“Do You Know What’s The Most Important Part of Your Copy?”
“Do You Know What’s The Most Important Problem for Your Customer?”
Though this is a question, it makes a clear promise to deliver that change. It’s
powerful for the same reasons that all promise headlines are, but it adds the
benefits of asking a question.
“What Would Happen if You’d Get Ten New Subscribers with Each Blog
Post?”
“What Would Happen if You’d Make an Extra $100 Per Month?”
If you use the right blanks you can capture attention and create interest.
There are several ways to be weird. But whatever way you choose, the
headline should make sense after reading the content that follows
it.
Using weird headlines is a good way to grab attention when the topic isn’t new
but instead discussed frequently. You can get your ideas read when you give a
weird enough spin on them.
1. The sub-headline (if you use one) can be even weirder than the
headline or explain it. If it explains the headline, it ruins the
interest that came from being weird. So, only explain the weirdness if
your topic is interesting enough on its own.
2. If you used a weird metaphor etc. use it till the end. The
headline makes no sense if you don’t use it in the text.
3. Weirdness alone isn’t enough to keep people interested. You’ll
need to give people reason to read an entire article/copy as fast as
possible. So, make it clear to the reader why they should read on.
4. Be weird in the end. Remind people about the weirdness in the last
few sentences, or be even weirder, and they’re more likely to share your
weirdness with their friends.
Why does it work? Because it makes no sense at all. But it wouldn’t work if it
said, “How to Interest Worms”.
And as with all weird headlines, it has to make sense in the end. If it doesn’t,
you let down the reader.
“Why The New FTC Guidelines May Become Your Best Friend”
“Why The Global Economic Crisis is a Blogger’s Friend”
75. Why [something boring] is The Fastest Way to [something incredible]
You can easily think of something boring and some incredible results. And you
may even figure out a way to connect those two. But the connection is often
weak, which makes the article a slight disappointment for the reader.
So, unless you really can make a strong connection, think of another headline.
This headline is a variation of the last one, but it doesn’t create such a strong
expectation of solid logical arguments.
This headline formula is used quite often in magazines. And you can use it too.
You can use this without being weird, but if there’s nothing surprising about
the headline, it won’t create as much interest.
This headline doesn’t have to be extremely weird to work well. But for
maximum effect, be at least a little weird.
“The Government is The Reason Why You Can’t Feel Safe at Home”
“Dogs are The Reason Why You Don’t Sleep in a Cave”
This works on me better than I’d like to admit. And it works on most other
people too.
If you can offer something that people want even a little bit and give a good
discount on it, many of them will buy it.
You can also use this effectively as an upselling technique: offer a discount on
a related product immediately after a purchase.
Urgency is the most important key in this headline. When you make it obvious
that the offer won’t last long, you force people to make quick decisions. And
when there’s the possibility to “save” money, the decision is often to buy.
We live in the time of productivity. If you can show people how to accomplish
more without spending more time, they’ll listen.
“Get Slim by Eating this New Miracle Pill” Obviously the headline is lying, but
it still captures attention…
“Get More Email Subscribers by Following these Simple Steps”
Free is the best price you can offer. But don’t forget that free is now normal, so
you still need to “sell” what you offer.
This headline isn’t just about urgency; it also agitates fears. People are scared
of wasting their time and money on things they could get faster or more
cheaply.
You can use this headline on sales letters as well as articles. And if you pick an
important “blank”, you’ll attract attention.
You can say just “Win [blank]”, but that’s so overused, that many people won’t
even notice it anymore.
When you make the headline more specific, it captures much more attention.
And you can even target a specific segment of your audience at the same time.
People like things fast and easy. That’s especially true if the benefits are
usually difficult to get.
You can use this in at least two very different ways. Either you can put a date
to the end of the headline to make it a “limited time offer”. Or you can use
something less concrete.
Both variations can be very effective and you’ll just have to think which one
suits your situation.
Another “how to” headline. This headline formula is used often (and I mean
really, really often) on blogs. But that’s because it works.
The problem is that it’s becoming so common that it doesn’t interest anymore.
So, try to add a twist to it if you can and/or be even more specific than others.
“How to Get 8.431 Email Subscribers in 3 Hours with Your Noodle Recipes”
“How to Make a Million Dollars in 1 Year”
Who doesn’t like shortcuts? Maybe your boss when it comes to your work, but
if they can take a shortcut, they probably will.
This is one of the only headlines that often work better if the topic is vague
than if it’s laser-focused.
This is the “ultimate” lazy headline. But it promises a lot, so prepare to meet
high expectations.
Quick tips about quick was to improve something. Who wouldn’t like it?
Unfortunately most articles that use this headline formula, are poorly written;
remember that “quick tips” isn’t the same as “useless tips”.
Writing a headline that promises great results with minimal effort is usually
the best way to capture attention and get people to read on.
This headline is used misleadingly quite often. The headline means that
something has changed and/or there’s a brand new opportunity/product
available that makes something easier to accomplish.
It’s not enough that you’ve updated your product. If there’s nothing
significantly new, people will be disappointed if you used this headline.
Replace “blank” with something specific. If you use (like many people do) a
vague word, most readers will stop reading as soon as they figure out what
you’re actually writing about.
A list headline that promises more than just simple advice. Again this sparks
high expectations that you’ll have to meet from the start of the first paragraph.
Don’t use with large numbers. (I know this may seem obvious, but I’ve seen a
lot of “15 Simple Steps…” headlines.)
This is one of the only headlines that are okay even if you use a vague “blank”.
It’s always better to be specific, but for some reason the word “simplify” allows
wider topics.
Be careful with this headline formula; it’s always on the edge of too-good-to-
be-true.
“Get 100,000 Twitter Followers Easily” is too good to be true and you’ll seem
like a fraud.
“Get 100 Twitter Followers Easily” is believable but for many audiences it’s
not that interesting.
“Finding a Job is as Easy as Teaching a Dog to Fetch a Treat” (If you can teach
your dog to not eat something that they like and is already in their mouth, let
me know…)
This headline promises an easy and quick to implement process for a specific
group of people. If your process isn’t simple and quick to use, it’ll disappoint
the reader.
What’s your favorite out of the ones here, and what did I miss?
Click here now for more headline ideas and to share your favorites.
And feel free to brag with your best headlines and leave a link to
the articles too.
That’s it for now… Hope you’ll get inspiration for your headlines, capture
attention, and get people to read all the way to the end of the text.
- Peter